How to say “delicious” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
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好吃 (literally 'good-to-eat') is only for food you eat. For tasty drinks use 好喝 (hǎohē, 'good-to-drink'). Third tone then first tone.
In a sentence
Zhège cài zhēn hǎochī!
This dish is really delicious!
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "delicious" in Chinese?+
"delicious" in Mandarin Chinese is 好吃, pronounced hǎochī. 好吃 (literally 'good-to-eat') is only for food you eat. For tasty drinks use 好喝 (hǎohē, 'good-to-drink'). Third tone then first tone.
What does 好吃 mean literally?+
好吃 breaks down as 好 (hǎo) = good, 吃 (chī) = to eat. Together it means "delicious".
How do I get the tones right in hǎochī?+
好吃 (literally 'good-to-eat') is only for food you eat. For tasty drinks use 好喝 (hǎohē, 'good-to-drink'). Third tone then first tone.
More phrases like this
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What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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See all the phrases on the how to say things in Chinese index, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.